Lot 169
**First Time At Auction**
Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A collection of three full microblades, a fragment of a microblade, and a core used to produce microblades. From the core, you can really begin to understand the knapping process that Mesoamericans undertook to create obsidian blades and points - obsidian breaks in a very predictable and controlled way. Size of longest microblade: 5" L x 0.5" W (12.7 cm x 1.3 cm); size of core: 3" L x 0.9" W (7.6 cm x 2.3 cm)
Raw obsidian would have begun life as a cobble found in a stream bed in the mountains, then struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone. Obsidian - "iztli" to them - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. The shockingly sharp edges and points of this piece demonstrate its great allure. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice. The difficult-to-obtain material came from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and in Guatemala, sometimes traded hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and then struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes. The Colima buried their dead in shaft tombs deep below their residences, alongside the remains of their ancestors. These tombs were richly furnished with ceramic figures, vessels, offerings, and precious stone items of jade and obsidian.
Provenance: Ex-Private Smith collection, Atlanta, Ga
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#119952
- Condition: One microblade has been repaired in the middle; one is a fragment.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |